Cost of Argentine citizenship: $350,000 contribution, $800,000 bond and a family calculation

The cost of Argentine citizenship in brief

In brief: the minimum for a single applicant is a $350,000 contribution or an $800,000 bond. Added to it are the amounts for family members, documents with an apostille and Spanish translation, a trip to Buenos Aires and the fees for the identity card and passport.

The Argentine government announced the programme in Paris on 2 October 2026. Economy Minister Luis Caputo named two options for the main applicant and fixed amounts for the spouse and children. Applications are expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2026. Government fees for processing and due diligence have not been published yet, so any calculation today covers the contributions, and the fees are added once the regulations are out.

The cost depends on three decisions by the family: who is included in the application, which option the main applicant chooses and how the money moves through the banks. Each is covered separately below. For a quick answer, open the Argentine citizenship estimate: it recalculates the amount for your family.

Treasury contribution and government bond

In brief: the $350,000 contribution is not refunded; the state promises to redeem the $800,000 bond after seven years. The contribution costs less up front; the bond needs more money, but part of it comes back.

The $350,000 contribution

The contribution goes to the National Treasury of Argentina and is not refunded under any circumstances. It is the simplest option to calculate: the amount is known in advance, after payment the family has no obligations to the state, there is no holding period and no conditions on sale. The contribution suits those who want to fix the cost and not tie up capital for years.

The $800,000 bond

The bond is issued specifically for the programme. According to the government, it is held for seven years, after which the principal is repaid. At the presentation the Economy Minister described the bond as zero-coupon: it pays no interest. The full terms of the issue - redemption currency, transfer rules, the right to sell early - were not published in the Ministry of Economy's written statement and will appear in the programme regulations.

This gives a simple rule for choosing. The bond is better than the contribution only if the family does not need the $800,000 for the next seven years and is prepared to take the risk on Argentine debt. If the capital works in a business or is needed to buy a home, the contribution is cheaper on any reasonable calculation.

Cost for a family: amounts for the spouse and children

In brief: $100,000 is paid for a spouse, $100,000 for each child aged 18 to 25 and $25,000 for each child under 18. The applicant's parents are not covered by the programme.

The amounts for family members are fixed and do not depend on the main applicant's option. The government gave an example: a main applicant, spouse and two minor children apply for $500,000 under the contribution option. Under the estimate model on the programme page, with the bond the main applicant buys an $800,000 bond and the same amounts are paid to the Treasury for the spouse and children. A family of four then comes to $950,000, of which $800,000 is repaid after seven years.

Which children are included

Children under 18 are included on the basis of their birth documents. Children aged 18 to 25 are included if they are unmarried and have no children of their own. A child over 25, or a child with a family of their own, applies separately as a main applicant and pays $350,000. So the children's ages on the filing date directly affect the amount: a child who turns 26 in six months must be included in the application before that date.

Children from a previous marriage

A child from a previous marriage is included with the consent of the other parent. The consent is notarised, apostilled and translated into Spanish. Without it the child cannot be included, and the family would have to apply separately later.

The chart shows that the main difference between the options lies with the main applicant: $350,000 against $800,000. The family amounts are the same. The more people in the application, the smaller the main applicant's share of the total and the less the choice of option affects the result for the family as a whole.

Totals for a family: six scenarios

In brief: a single applicant pays from $350,000, a couple from $450,000, a family of four from $500,000. Under the bond option, $450,000 is added to each amount through the main applicant's bond.

The table shows contributions without government fees or document costs. The amounts are in US dollars, as announced by the government. Fees for processing, due diligence and issuing documents will be published in the programme regulations, and the estimate will then be updated.

For families with children over 18 the calculation changes the most. A child aged 18 to 25 costs the same as a spouse, $100,000, while a child under 18 costs four times less. If the family has two adult children, the total under the contribution option reaches $650,000. It is easiest to check each item in the estimate with family member selection, which shows how the amount changes as each person is added.

What the $800,000 bond really costs

In brief: the bond is repaid, but for seven years the money earns nothing. At a 4% annual return the forgone income is about $253,000, and the saving compared with the contribution is about $97,000, provided the bond is repaid in full and on time.

The bond cannot be compared with the contribution at face value. The $800,000 comes back after seven years, but during those years the family receives no interest on it and cannot invest it elsewhere. The cost of the bond to the investor is the income they give up.

Calculating the forgone income

The BRIDGES estimate rests on one assumption: the same $800,000 could earn 4% a year in dollars with reinvestment. Over seven years the capital would grow by about $253,000. That is the economic cost of the bond. The contribution costs $350,000, so if the bond is repaid in full and on time it is about $97,000 cheaper than the contribution. At a 5% return the forgone income rises to about $326,000, and the difference from the contribution narrows to $24,000. At 6% the bond is already more expensive than the contribution.

Repayment risk

The second part of the bond's cost is the risk that the state will not repay in full or on time. In 2001 Argentina defaulted on its external debt, and in 2005 and 2020 it restructured its bonds. The current government is restoring market access, but the seven-year term goes beyond a single presidential mandate. Repayment terms and holder protections will appear in the issue regulations, and until they are published it is too early to choose the bond.

The practical conclusion for a family: the bond makes sense for an investor with free capital of more than $1 million and no use for this money for seven years. For everyone else the contribution is cheaper and simpler on paper, because after payment there is no asset to manage and report on.

Expenses beyond the contribution

In brief: besides the contribution, the family pays the programme's government fees, documents with an apostille and translation, a trip to Buenos Aires and the fees for the identity card and passport. The programme fees have not been announced yet.

Government programme fees

The government has not named the fees for processing and due diligence. In other citizenship by investment programmes such fees are paid for each family member and are not refunded if the application is refused. The regulations of the Citizenship by Investment Programmes Agency will set the amounts and the moment of payment. Until then the estimate shows the contributions, and the fees are added as a separate line.

Documents, apostille and translation

Each family member needs a birth certificate, spouses need a marriage certificate, and adults need criminal record certificates from their country of citizenship and countries of residence. The documents are apostilled and translated into Spanish by an Argentine sworn translator, with certification by the translators' association. On top of this comes proof of the source of funds: bank statements, asset sale agreements, income and tax documents. If documents were issued in different countries or spell the name differently, costs rise.

The trip and issue of documents

After a positive decision the citizen obtains the national DNI identity card and a passport from RENAPER, the national registry of persons. This requires personal presence in Argentina. BRIDGES combines all visits into one trip: biometrics, collecting the DNI and the passport. Flights, accommodation and RENAPER fees are paid at the rates on the date of the trip.

Banking costs

Money enters Argentina only through the banking system. The sending bank charges a transfer fee, and the bank processing the payment checks the source of funds. If the transfer comes from a country with restrictions on international payments, an account in a third country is needed first. Setting up such an account is a separate cost and takes time.

Three example calculations

In brief: an entrepreneur without a family comes to a $350,000 contribution, a couple with two schoolchildren to $500,000, a family with a student and a younger child to $575,000. Programme fees will be added to each amount.

An entrepreneur applying alone

A 42-year-old entrepreneur applies for citizenship for themselves only. Their free capital is invested in the business and needed for working capital, so a seven-year bond does not suit them. The result is a $350,000 contribution, documents for one person and one trip to Buenos Aires. The main part of the preparation here is proving the source of funds: dividends and the sale of a stake in a company are supported by profit distribution resolutions, agreements and tax returns.

A couple with two schoolchildren

A family with children aged 9 and 14 applies for citizenship for all four. Under the contribution option the total is $500,000: $350,000 for the main applicant, $100,000 for the spouse and $25,000 for each child. Each child needs a birth certificate with an apostille and translation, and if one parent does not apply with the family, that parent's notarised consent. The children's documents are quick to prepare; most of the time goes on the adults' criminal record certificates and proof of funds.

A family with a student

A couple applies together with their 20-year-old son, a university student, and their 12-year-old daughter. The son is unmarried and has no children, so he is included for $100,000. The total under the contribution option is $575,000. The son needs his own criminal record certificate, and if he studies abroad, a certificate from the country of study. If he turns 26 before the application is filed, he moves to a separate application at $350,000, and the family total rises to $825,000. That is why such families plan the filing around the elder child's birthday.

What the BRIDGES estimate includes

In brief: the estimate shows every family payment line by line: contributions, programme fees, documents, translations, the trip, government fees and support, with payment stages.

The calculation is built for a specific family and the chosen option. The estimate includes government payments - contributions and programme fees once they are published - and payments to third parties: apostille, sworn translation, certification by the translators' association, RENAPER fees. BRIDGES services and their payment schedule by stage are shown separately.

Before signing an agreement, BRIDGES runs a free preliminary due diligence: it checks the applicant against databases and reviews the source of funds. If we see a risk, we say so straight away and show how to address it. This saves the family money: due diligence fees in citizenship programmes are not refunded, and filing with an unchecked background costs more than taking time to prepare. How the whole process works is described on the Argentine citizenship programme page.

When and how to pay

In brief: the moment of payment will be set by the Agency's regulations. Under the announced procedure, money arrives only through a bank, and the applicant proves its lawful origin.

The procedure for reviewing an application is set out in Decree 524/2025. The application is filed with the Citizenship by Investment Programmes Agency under the Ministry of Economy. The Agency checks whether the investment meets the programme terms and requests opinions from the Ministry of Security, the UIF financial intelligence unit, the criminal records registry, the RENAPER national registry of persons and the SIDE intelligence service. The recommendation then goes to the National Directorate of Migration, which decides within 30 working days.

Exactly when the contribution is paid - before the checks, after them or after the decision - the government has not specified. This matters for assessing risk: in some programmes the contribution is paid only after approval, in others part of the amount is paid at filing. Until the regulations are published, BRIDGES does not recommend transferring the contribution and prepares everything else: the documents, proof of funds and the banking route of the payment.

Checking the source of funds is the main risk of refusal. The government has announced checks in line with OECD and FATF recommendations. The money must have a clear history: earned, received from the sale of an asset, inherited or paid as dividends, and this history must be backed by documents. A family can take a preliminary check before filing through the preliminary due diligence form.

Taxes on payment and after the passport

In brief: the contribution and the bond do not make the family Argentine tax residents. Tax residence arises from living in the country permanently, and obligations to the country of first citizenship remain.

Under the rules of the Argentine tax authority ARCA, a foreigner becomes a tax resident on obtaining permanent residence in the country or after living there on temporary permits for 12 months. Citizenship by investment does not require living in Argentina, so in itself it creates no tax obligations in the country. If the family moves, residence and taxes will be determined by actual residence.

Obligations to the country of first citizenship remain. A Russian citizen notifies the Ministry of Internal Affairs of a second citizenship within 60 days. If they remain a Russian tax resident, they report foreign accounts and, where relevant, controlled foreign companies.

Argentina's cost compared with other programmes

In brief: Argentina costs more than Vanuatu, the Caribbean countries and Egypt, but less than Turkey. For the difference the family gets a passport with visa-free Schengen access and the right to live in MERCOSUR countries.

For a single applicant Argentina costs 2.7 times as much as Vanuatu and $100,000-150,000 more than the Caribbean programmes. For a family the gap is smaller: in the Caribbean a fixed contribution covers a family of up to four, while in Argentina each family member has its own amount. A family of four pays $500,000 in Argentina, a $250,000 contribution plus fees in Saint Kitts and Nevis, and $180,000 in Vanuatu under the DSP programme.

Comparing programmes on price alone is a mistake. The Argentine passport gives visa-free entry to the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom with an electronic authorisation and Japan, and the right to live and work in MERCOSUR countries; details are in the article on the Argentine passport. The cost of neighbouring programmes is covered in the articles on the full cost of Caribbean programmes, the cost of Turkish citizenship and the cost of Vanuatu citizenship.

What could change the cost

In brief: the amounts were announced by the ministry but are not yet set in a resolution. The regulations may refine them, and the legal basis of the programme is before the Supreme Court.

Programme regulations

The Ministry of Economy's statement of 2 October 2026 is an announcement of the programme, not a legal act. The contribution amounts, bond terms, fees and moment of payment will be fixed by a ministerial resolution. Regulations usually refine details and add fees, but they can also change the main amounts if the government reassesses demand.

Dispute over the legal basis

The ground of naturalisation by investment was added to Citizenship Law No. 346 by Decree 366/2025. On 30 June 2026 the National Electoral Chamber declared the decree void and returned citizenship decisions to federal judges. The government is appealing to the Supreme Court. The outcome will determine who reviews investment applications and how. We cover the programme's promises and risks in the analysis of Argentina's citizenship programme.

Exchange rate and inflation

The programme amounts are set in US dollars, so the peso exchange rate does not affect them. It does affect expenses inside the country: RENAPER fees, document translation, accommodation. Peso prices change quickly, and local costs in the estimate are recalculated on the date of the trip.

Where families go wrong in their calculations

In brief: most often families underestimate adult children, forget the fees and compare the bond with the contribution at face value.

1. Counting an adult child as a minor. A child aged 18 to 25 costs $100,000, not $25,000.
2. Ignoring age on the filing date. A child over 25 files a separate application at $350,000.
3. Comparing the bond with the contribution at face value. The cost of the bond is seven years of forgone income plus repayment risk.
4. Planning only for the contribution. Programme fees, documents, the trip and banking costs add to the total.
5. Transferring money before the regulations. The moment of payment is not set, and an early transfer creates unnecessary risk.
6. Delaying proof of the source of funds. It is a long stage of preparation and should be started first.

What to check before paying

In brief: who is in the application, the children's ages, the source of funds, the banking route of the payment and the published programme regulations.

• Who is included in the application and how old each child is on the filing date.
• Which option suits the family: the contribution or the bond, with the forgone income calculated.
• Which documents prove the origin of the whole amount.
• From which bank and through which countries the payment will go.
• Whether the regulations have been published and what they say about fees and the moment of payment.
• What the Supreme Court has decided on Decree 366/2025.

The overall process is set out on the Argentine citizenship programme page.